The GOP is still morally corrupt, even if Discourse breaks

[Pyperkub]

@sillhouette

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/capitol-riot-lawyer-pierce-covid-disappearance/2021/08/30/d7b93eca-0054-11ec-ba7e-2cf966e88e93_story.html

John M. Pierce, of Los Angeles, has been incommunicado for the past seven days, leaving 17 clients effectively without defense counsel, prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office for Washington said.

Over two days last week, Marshall, his associate, indicated to a judge that Pierce’s absence was due to a conflict, later told prosecutors he “had just gotten word that Pierce had been in an accident” and the following morning told another judge that Pierce was “hospitalized with covid-19, on a ventilator and nonresponsive,” prosecutors said.

Marshall eventually told a prosecutor that one of Pierce’s friends told him that Pierce was sick with the virus, but another said he was not, the government said in filings.

Marshall has been appearing in court on Pierce’s behalf but is not a licensed attorney, might not ever become one given pending felony charges, and “cannot ethically or legally represent Mr. Pierce’s clients,” prosecutors said Monday.

The chief financial officer of Pierce’s legal nonprofit, Marshall has been charged with falsifying court documents and fraud. Marshall has pleaded not guilty.

Best quote I saw on twitter about this (emptywheel’s threads) was:

Now the Clients are the Ambulance Chasers

[ShivaX]

Tom Nichols

J.D. Vance

[abrandt]

Interesting to have a Republican say that about a bunch of jailed antifa infiltrators.

[Scotch_Lufkin]

@rrmorton

Top men

Every time I think of that scene, the line is being delivered by Richard Griffiths (the uncle from the Harry Potter movies) and I just looked and nope, not him. I would have sworn it was.

[Gordon_Cameron]

Nope, it’s delivered by Porkins!

[JoshL]

@Gordon_Cameron

Nope, it’s delivered by Porkins!

Mind. Blown.

[sillhouette]

Don Moynihan

Brian Beutler

[Menzo]

McCarthy knows that the DOJ isn’t going to do shit given their goal of remaining out of the political fray. Unless it’s Democrats, then it’s totally cool.

[Gordon_Cameron]

I see Tucker still hasn’t managed to squeeze that turd out.

[jpinard]

Corruption is usually not so blatant. Just imagine if a Democrat had done this.

FBI examining $100M tax refund push by Arizona Gov. Ducey staffers after...

[sillhouette]

Lauren Boebert admits to campaign finance problems: “I under-reported a lot...

[MrGrumpy]

I thought there was a separate thread for this, but if so can’t find it so posting this here.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/09/01/texas-principal-critical-race-theory/

Never mind CRT isn’t taught in K-12 schools, and never mind the media’s characterization of it as ‘an increasingly fraught debate’ (lol, the far right chuckle fucks never even heard of it until six months ago when their media starting banging the brainwashing drums, but, sure, let’s call it a ‘debate’, need to keep that normalization train running on time) the district in question is just stunningly racist:

The recent dispute over critical race theory was not Whitfield’s first clash with parents. In 2019, shortly after Whitfield was named the first Black principal of a middle school in Colleyville, a parent complained to the district about a photo Whitfield had posted on social media that showed him and his wife, who is White, in an embrace, celebrating their wedding anniversary.

“Is this the Dr. Whitfield we want as an example for our students?” the parent asked in an email that Whitfield recounted on Facebook. The district asked Whitfield to remove the photo to avoid further controversy, KXAS-TV reported.

[Papageno]

Look at you “worsening race relations” by calling out obvious racism!

[Dejin]

DeSantis and Abbott’s polling numbers are down:

DeSantis’ net approval rating is down 14 points since the beginning of July, compared with a 6-point drop in sentiment about Abbott.

On the flipside there’s this, which I guess is what DeSantis is after. He’s far and away the top Presidential candidate choice for Republicans if Trump doesn’t run.

Emerson College Polling

[Menzo]

I have zero doubt that DeSantis will be Trump’s running mate in 2024, unless Trump is dead or in jail.

[ShivaX]

@Menzo

I have zero doubt that DeSantis will be Trump’s running mate in 2024, unless Trump is dead or in jail.

Depends if he’s annoyed Trump or not, imo.

Trump doesn’t want to share the limelight either. Pence was a safe pick because who gives a fuck about Pence or ever has? Meanwhile DeSantis is in the news more than Trump. And he’s getting the stink of a loser on him, which Trump is more than willing to toss someone away for. He doesn’t reward loyalty and DeSantis takes focus off of Trump.

[JoshL]

@Menzo

unless Trump is dead or in jail

Dead might be a problem, but Trump could run from jail. Just ask Eugene V. Debs!

[Menzo]

@ShivaX

he’s getting the stink of a loser on him, which Trump is more than willing to toss someone away for.

Says you. He’s a huge hero to MAGA folks, and that’s all Trump cares about.

[ShivaX]

@Menzo

Says you. He’s a huge hero to MAGA folks, and that’s all Trump cares about.

If anything that’s a point against him.

If you exist to be worshipped someone else taking any of your glory is a negative.

Now maybe Ron has genuflected the proper amount that Trump is fine with it.
But that didn’t work for Rudy. Or a hundred other people.

[RichVR]

@Menzo

unless Trump is dead or in jail.

Stop trying to cheer me up.